The captive was brought away and the audience in the throne room dissolved. The Miskara stepped down from his throne and headed with his full officially gown towards his family, taking off his mask, like his wife and his children.
"Dasha, it was more than I hoped that you've brought Bearsh with you already."
"He incited our daughter to leave alone her sister Porsha and instead to roam around with a wolvkil", the mother replied.
"So did something happen?"
Dasha nodded.
„Then let's go into a private room", the father decided. Then he turned towards Bearsh. "You are dismissed. Over there is your father."
At once Bearsh left them.
Finally the family was alone.
"And now one by one: What did happen?", the father wanted to know.
"Bearsh took me from my class and I asked him if I can accompany him, when he is walking a wolvkil."
"It is very noble of you that you defend your cousin that ardently, but I know that you usually don't care for animals that much. Thus I don't believe you. But that is not the point. The point is that you left your sister alone and Porsha did what?"
He turned to little Porsha, whose small, high on the head ears went red out of shame.
"I just did re-arrange the planets", the six year old defended herself.
„And by this you did destroy the painting, which had a big healing worth for the children in the waiting room, as Madame Tamasha told me!", the mother ranted at her daughter.
"What's the problem? Then somebody will paint a new picture for her. What was on the picture?", the Miskara asked.
„And that is the problem", Dasha came to the core. "This picture stemmed from the Togruta artist colony of Kiros and their technique of painting isn't so easy to imitate, says Madame Tamasha."
"Then we go to Kiros again and take new pictures", Porsha suggested.
„That is not so easy", her father replied. "Our fleet had been on this planet just two years ago. Kiros is still too poor to make a new journey feasible. Such an endeavor has to be planned and financed. We need some time for that, which we rather spend for more amortizing tenets."
"This Thrawn and his … droids", Marasha butted in.
"I see you was listening", her father said, "but something worse could have happened. There could have been vengeful Geroons to abduct Porsha to demand ransom for her. As a daughter of the Miskara she would have been an asset of a hostage."
„The Geroons are too peaceful and to coward", Marasha retorted. "And anyway: Would you have paid ransom for Porsha and how much?"
"That is enough, young Miss!", the Miskara boomed and loosened one of his four broad belts holding his green-yellow patterned gown together.
"Dasha, you will leave with the rest of our children!"
The wife of the Miskara left the room with her other three children. As soon as she'd closed the door, she heard how the belt with a loud clap hit the back of her eldest daughter … again and again. There was nothing else to hear.
The mother looked into Porsha's widened lilac eyes. "Your elder sister is very brave and enduring. I hope she has learned from her mistake."
When the next morning broke, the fleet of the Vagaari was still in hyperspace. The family of the Miskara sat in the dining room of their private ship tract to take the common breakfast.
A humanoid female with yellow skin entered the dining room, to serve with her long arms the freshly warmed bread on the readymade table. Then she turned the gaze of her black eyes on the dame of the house.
"You are allowed to leave", Dasha said in a commanding voice, then she turned to her husband, feeling that he had something in mind.
"Dasha, which background do we chose for today?", the Miskara asked his wife. "The dark space is quite sordid today."
Dasha grabbed a remote control lying on a cupboard. She pressed a button on which an arrow was to be seen. The darkness of a central cave dome shone up in the panorama windows, which ranged from the ceiling until the floor. From the cave room several tunnels lead away which gloomed each in a different color.
"But Mom, that is something for the evening", Marasha nagged.
"Mountain top, mountain top!", her four year old brother screeched in a joyful multi-tone voice.
Dasha pressed again on the arrow button and around them abysses gaped up, which were covered with green climbing branches. Some snowdrifts were to be seen over which small animals with sharp teeth were hushing who dug holes into the ground to disappear inside them soon.
„That is too calm. Why we don't make the ocean just like three days ago?", the father suggested.
Dasha pressed the button several times. The panorama window round the breakfast table flashed in blurred pictures with each push. Finally it was filled with water in the lower quarter, thrusting noisily against the transpari-steel. Some white birds flew by to snatch some of the small fishes, which sprang out of the water in wide arcs. Their splashing waves mingled with the surge and the screeches of the ocean's birds into a harmonious triad, which put a smile on the two mouths of the Miskara.
„That is just the unwinding I need before the battle starts", he said praising to his wife.
"Where is the Human?", Dasha asked her husband, while she seated herself on the table too.
"He is enjoying the sight at the most advanced point."
"Thus he surely didn't imagine his little trip towards us to be", Dasha said with a mischievous smile.
„Perhaps he deemed us Vagaari to be a bit stupid. Perhaps he thought that our thirst for revenge would cloud our vision. Now he knows better. And thus time has come for him to put his sincerity to a test."
Concern flared up in Marasha's face. "You still believe he could betray us?"
"You always have to reckon with such", her father explained. "And if this is a trap, it will be too small to swallow our whole armada. Just the opposite: Then their trap will become a trap for the Chiss!"
„I hope that", Marasha said. "Can I have some honey please?"
"Of course my child", the Miskara said fatherly, drew back the sleeve of his gown and held his arm other the offered bread. The Schostri-bees on the Miskara's arm hummed, then they let out their golden delicacy on Marasha's sheet of bread.
"Thank you, father that is enough", Marasha said and father and daughter pulled back their arms synchronically.
The Miskara covered his bee-dotted arm anew with the green-yellow striped sleeve and the breakfast went on. Marasha looked at the panorama window with the ocean simulation. One of the seabirds just started the very same maneuver as one hour ago – to catch the very same fish. She hoped that the coming battle would end better than that one, in which the Chiss had beaten them and took away their ship net. But she also knew that the fleet of her people owned several of them.
༺═────────────═༻
The Miskara stood already again at the bridge of his flagship, as the fleet of the Vagaari fell out of hyperspace half an hour before the six assumed hours had been over – it was in the vicinity of the Crustai asteroid but much farer than planned. Left from his command ship he saw a gigantic, wire-meshed orb – prey to the Chiss now. Our ship net!
To the right instead, apparently held in place by the activated gravity projector as well – hovered a huge mass, consisting of six white cylinders – arranged in a hexagon around a bulgy core in the middle. The Miskara looked at his two aides but their looks told him that they didn't had any idea about that strange vessel either.
„So that is the trap!", the Miskara scorned. "Time to interrogate our Human!"
He ushered one commander to bring him a remote control and opened one channel. Before him, the picture of a null-g-plastic bubble appeared – on the wall of the most ahead vessel of the Vagaari fleet. And in this plastic bubble which was not even two meters long, the Human lay, legs and arms spread out widely, looking left and right anxiously. Apparently he couldn't grasp the purpose of the white thing looking like the antique magazine drum of some outdated shooting weapon. Or this Car'das was good at bluffing.
„Human!", the Miskara barked at him.
The Human needed some time to recognize the diamond-shaped comlink from Vagaari production, before he grabbed it for an answer: „Yes, your Eminency?"
"What is that trap you led us to?", the Vagaari asked and basked in the shudder, his tone caused the victim to show.
"I don't understand that", the captive said. "Did your people take the wrong coordinates from the computer of the shuttle?"
"We have been pulled back into the crawl room before due time", the Miskara hissed back. "And they used the stolen ship against us!"
"But how should the Chiss have probably planned such?", the Human justified himself. "They surely use it against another ship."
The Miskara turned the channel mute to give one of his men a new order. "Bring him one of those macro-binocular glasses, which were on board of his shuttle." Then he opened the channel again. "With all the wide space around us? Ridiculous!"
The Human seemed unfazed. „Even stranger things have happened."
The Miskara saw, how behind the Human the door of the bubble was opened and a soldier turned the macro spy-glasses over to the Human. Then the door shut again.
„Look ahead!", the Miskara ordered via his comlink. "And tell me the story of that ship!"
„I've never seen something like this before", the Human started while fine-tuning the glasses. "But it is matching the description of a long-time colonizing project, which is called the Outbound Flight Project. Aboard these ships there are fifty-thousands of my people, with enough storage in the core for several years."
"How many battle machines do they have?"
"I don't know. But for sure several, mostly that bigger three-legged Droidekas, to have them as guards for their future colonies …", he scratched his head, "perhaps hundreds of them. But most of the droids aboard will be working or maintenance droids. From that kind they have surely at least twenty-thousand."
„And those mechanical slaves have the same artificial brains and mechanisms like the fighting machines?"
The Human contorted his face. "Yes", he said in an assuring manner. "I assume one could re-program them as fighting machines as well. But the passengers on the ship won't leave them to you voluntarily. And these six dreadnaughts have a lot of fire force."
"Your care is really touching", the voice of the Miskara was oozing sarcasm. "But we are the Vagaari. We take what we want." With these words he opened a new channel – a general channel to be heard everywhere in the vicinity.
"You on the ship, which is known as the Outbound Flight Project: We are the Vagaari! Surrender or we will destroy you!"
No answer came. The third end of the connection remained silent.
"They surely don't respond because they don't understand your language", Car'das explained as patiently, as his beating heart allowed him. "As I said before, they come from the same area as I do. And there, we don't know the language of the mighty and noble Vagaari."
„Soon you will learn it", the Miskara promised coldly. "And in the meantime you may serve as translator."
"Of course Your Eminency", the Human replied duly. "Of course I will serve the Miskara and the people of the Vagaari in every field."
"Of course", the Miskara repeated, as if it would be totally unthinkable that Car'das would show even the slightest sign of hesitation. "And now tell me, where exactly in the ships their battle machines are. Will they be more at the surface or rather deep inside?"
„Deep inside", Car'das answered without really knowing if that was true but he needed time for thinking.
„Good", the Miskara said satisfied. "Then we can destroy what we want without any risk for our bounty."
He recognized that the features of the Human got something strenuous. Soon they would show even more of that.
„And now you tell them the following", the Miskara proceeded. "You on the ship that is known as Outbound Flight Project: We are the Vagaari! Surrender or we will destroy you!"
༺═────────────═༻
Nobody aboard Outbound Flight Project was about to answer that frightening message – at least not for now.
"A prisoner of the Republic?", Jedi Knight Lorana Jinzler supposed.
„Or a traitor", Jedi Master Ma'Ning said in a somber voice. "However, it makes the whole situation even more complicated."
"Not at all!", Jedi Master C'baoth's voice boomed out of the com-loudspeaker. "Even a traitor can't explain them, how to prepare on the coordinated defense of a Jedi Force meld."
"Look at these fighting vessels", Ma'Ning said. "Do you see that plastic bubbles at the body of their ships?"
Lorana felt, how her chest became narrow. "There are people inside!"
"Living shields!", C'baoth affirmed appalled. "The most heinous and coward defense system ever created."
„What do we do now?" Lorana asked and her voice was trembling suddenly, while the ships of the Vagaari headed directly towards Outbound Flight now, which should be their home for many years. "We can't just slaughter the hostages for good!"
"Bravery, Jedi Jinzler", C'baoth spoke to his former Padawan. "We'll shoot between the hostages."
"But to gain such an accuracy, we had to let them come much too near!", Ma'Ning protested. "Until then we are vaporized! And we sit here and wait and do nothing?"
„Do you take me for a fool, Master Ma'Ning?!", C'baoth scoffed back. "The Vagaari will meet a surprise. All Jedi – prepare for the Force meld! Stretch out in the Force – and then – onwards to the Vagaari!"
༺═────────────═༻
Marasha was about to enter the school building, when she felt a wave wafting towards her, narrowing her chest. Instead going into the class room, she headed towards the secretary room.
"I have to speak with my father", she explained to the secretary who appeared to be unnerved.
"Yeah, yeah, I know already, you want to let declare you ill, to observe the way of the battle. But now it's school time and you will learn soon enough, how many treasures we've got."
"It is about death or life!", Marasha demanded, dragged towards the com-station and dialed a number.
"You think, because you are the daughter of the Miskara, you can afford such?", the secretary sneered and made a gesture as how to rip the comlink off Marasha's hand. "Your father did tell me explicitly, that you and Porsha were to be treated as absolutely ordinary pupils …"
Marasha didn't listen to her anymore. "Father", she coughed. "We have to get away. That people on the ship over there do apply a secret weapon, which will annihilate us!"
"Did Bearsh did insinuated this, that you don't have to go to school today or what?"
"Please, father, let's jump back into the dark room, before it is too late!"
The Miskara let out an amused whistle. "What kind of weapon should that be anyway, my child?"
"There are some energy waves becoming stronger and stronger. When these waves will reach our ships, then …"
"There are no such things as dangerous energy waves!", her father cut her off. "Our scanner did examine that big ship already from a safe distance. The Human says, they have strong canons and droids, but they don't send waves!"
"But these waves, they come nearer and nearer!", Marasha implored her father.
"Stop now! Hurl back into your class! After your action yesterday I really had expected better from you!"
The connection sizzled out.
„And I've heard better stories already", the secretary sneered.
Marasha didn't care for her anymore. She fled out of the room and ran into the highest floor to fetch her cousin. She caught him, while he was about to enter the classroom with his mates.
"You have to tell your father that he shall jump back into hyperspace, otherwise we are lost!", she whispered in his small ear.
Bearsh turned around. „What's the matter?"
She touched her throat. „This white sixfold ship. It is applying an energy-weapon against us we haven't a chance against. It is approaching more and more. I really feel dizzy."
Bearsh looked into her lilac eyes. "Is it like that time, when you felt this ambush over Pashvi."
She nodded hastily.
"I'll call my father."
They didn't care about the other children who shouted or just looked behind them, when they left the school building. Bearsh activated his comlink to tell his father about the unknown wave.
"Boy, we have other things to do", Bearsh's father barked in his comlink. "We just spear the attack and there is no wave. Hush back into your class immediately!"
"And my father …", Marasha started.
"Let me make an educated guess, he doesn't believe you either", Bearsh finished her sentence. "What does it matter? When we did succeed, they will give us some petty punishment, just like to the others who skip school now, when it is discovered. But what do we do now?"
„We have to reach the command ship to warn everybody. Perhaps somebody there will feel the wave, when it becomes too heavy and then we can do something. There is no other chance."
„Hey!", the secretary had come out of her office and hollered over the floor. "Where do you want to go?"
"We should have taken Porsha with us", Marasha said in a pity, when they ran to a shuttle where a pilot had just duty.
"She would take us too much time", Bearsh objected and Marasha told herself that he was right.
"We have to go to my father, the Miskara at the command ship", Marasha named her destination.
The pilot waved exhaustedly. "Yeah, yeah, you are already the third ones who want to see the battle. But you are too young. Just go back to your class."
Marasha straightened herself in front the pilot with her one meter twenty teenage height. Behind her back she moved her cinnamon brown hand in a way unnoticeable from the pilot's position. "You will take us to the command ship. Directly under the bridge deck!"
The pilot hesitated for one moment as if he was about to remember something forgotten.
"I will bring you to the command ship. Directly under the bridge deck", the elderly Vagaari replied finally but a bit lesser melodious than he spoke before.
Bearsh's face wrinkled for a moment in a mixture of astounding and being amused. Then they entered and the driver rushed away.
༺═────────────═༻
"They don't answer", the Miskara said accusingly, as if the silence aboard Outbound Flight would be Car'das' fault.
"Perhaps they still counsel with each other about what to do, Your Eminency", Car'das speculated and looked to the black sky. The Vagaari ships were still heading towards the conglomerate of Outbound Flight; in narrowly arranged groups to enjoy the safety of overlapping shields. They prepared for the attack. And Outbound Flight still didn't react. Thrawn's announced armada wasn't to be seen either. Still the Miskara was certain that the Chiss were lurking around somewhere not far away.
But where?
"You will send them a new message", he commanded. „The time for discussion is over! You will surrender now, or …"
And amidst this sentence the voice of the Miskara dissolved into a confused babble.
Jorj Car'das turned his gaze away from Outbound Flight and looked towards the door behind him, where his guards did also fall into that strange muttering, which was not anymore that melodious language he knew from the Vagaari. He pushed the diamond-shaped comlink closer to his hear, but the unarticulated stammering went on until it escalated into cries of pain … which unwound into dumb thuds on the ground.
He glanced again towards Outbound Flight. He hadn't told the Miskara about the presence of Jedi aboard the colonizing project on purpose. But now an aching shudder ran down his spine when he thought of the Jedi. He had heard stories, that Jedi could control the thoughts of other people, to confuse attackers. Be it, that they placed false noises inside their ears or to urge them not to concentrate enough on the controls of their weapon systems any…
Jorj Car'das couldn't bring his thought to an end. The com of his kidnappers still pressed on his ear, he sacked in his transparent null-g-plastic bubble to the ground and waited for the end.
༺═────────────═༻
Bearsh looked into the direction of Outbound Flight, of which he didn't even know the name. „I still can't recognize anything", he said.
But in the lilac eyes of his cousin was absolute alarm. She even cringed against him. "Hey, don't do so! This is … embarrassing!", he hissed in her ear.
Instantly Marasha brought a bit more space between them, then she shivered and sacked afore. They were just in the middle between the school ship no. 5 and the command ship. They could see the vanguard of the fleet, which still headed towards the white colossus right of them, but no shot did have fallen yet.
"Hey, cousin, what's up?", Bearsh asked and shook her shoulder.
She held her hands over her face to veil her emotions. Only now Bearsh got to know that something was not right at all.
The pilot suddenly drove the shuttle in snake-curves and in Bearsh himself a kind of shaky turmoil flared up as he'd never known before. He lunged forward to the driver and stabilized with him the control, while he pressed his hands and feet on the same handles and pedals as the pilot already did.
"Thanks", the Pilot mumbled in numbness. "That is not normal. There's something going on heeee …"
With all his power Bearsh clinged on the control to keep the shuttle on a straight course, then – all of the sudden – the confusion was over and the pilot gained back the full control of the control. Hence Bearsh left them and climbed back to his cousin, who laid curled in pain on the back bank, her hands still covering her face.
He grabbed both her shoulders and shook her. "Marasha?"
Both her mouths escaped a heavy coughing. „They die", she breathed. „They are just dying … so many! Our fleet … our people … they will all die."
„Head up! We are about to arrive!"
Her hands sank down from her face. Bearsh could see her reddened, wet eyes. "It is too late!", she said in a sad dual tone of her mouths. "The wave has arrived."
Bearsh from his throat let out a deep whistle. "That I've but felt too now."
"And my father is dead!"
Note of the author: In this chapter too there are many events from the novel „Outbound Flight" by Timothy Zahn. That is especially in the scene of the conversation between the Miskara and Jorj Car'das.